


The Reaping

by Hunters_Grace



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-20 14:57:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hunters_Grace/pseuds/Hunters_Grace
Summary: In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select two tributes to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains.In this the 74th annual Hunger Games, the stakes are even higher.





	1. The Odds

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt at a fic for this fandom so I hope you guys like it.  
> Slow burn (sorry) and probably going to get a bit angsty too.
> 
> Chapter 1 - the reaping and the journey to the Capitol.
> 
> Let me know what you think.  
> Like, comment, all the works!

“Now the time has come to select one corageous young man and woman for the honour of representing District 12 in the 74th annual Hunger Games. As usual, ladies first.”

The whole crowd flinched at the clack of heels across the stage, the glass ball on the right podium emanating a sense of impending doom. Families worried themselves sick at the back of the crowd as they searched out their children or siblings. The children in the roped off area were doing the same, looking out for their siblings and friends in the group with them. Fear coursed through every person stood outside the justice hall. This happened every year, but the feeling never changed.

The escort for District 12 was a woman of around thirty, dark hair fell over her shoulders, fine clothes the only thing that gave away that she’d been living in the Capitol at all.

The escorts were all sent by the Capitol, but the woman had originally been from District 6 - a victor too, once upon a time. She’d moved to the Capitol a few years prior, renounced her role as a mentor for her district and disappeared for a year before she resurfaced, having been assigned as an escort for District 12.

A hand dipped into the glass ball when she finally reached the podium it resided on. 

A small, folded piece of paper was plucked from the ball and the woman turned to pace back to her microphone. She set her jaw as she looked out at the group in front of her, so many young faces. She tore the tape across the paper and opened it up, the woman blinked back tears as she steeled herself to look back at the paper.

“Lena Luthor.”

The woman watched as the girls shuffled, turning to make space for the teenager whose face had dropped as she went sheet white as her name was called out.

She looked around nervously, fear setting into her eyes as she stepped free from the crowd to be walked onto the stage by the peacekeepers between the two groups. The teenager stood by the older woman on the stage as she looked out at her peers, trying desperately to avoid looking for her father in the crowd beyond.

“And now for the boys…” Lena glanced across to the other group as the woman trailed off, walking to the bowl on the other side of the stage. By the time she returns with a piece of paper, Lena can see the dread on most of the boys faces. No one wanted to be up here with her. She didn’t blame them, she didn’t want to be up here either.

“Clark Kent.”

Movement came from the younger portion of the crowd and the woman immediately regretted reading out the name. 

The boy that stepped out from the crowd must have only been 12, one entry of his name and she’d managed to pull it out. She saw the panic in his eyes, the ragged breaths heaving at his chest as the peacekeepers pulled him from the crowd. Movement came from the other side of the crowd as they marched him down the walkway between the boys and the girls. The peacekeepers only able to react after an older girl had pushed her way out of the crowd, yelling as she went.

“Clark! Clark!” 

The boy froze at the sound of his voice turning to claw desperately at the peacekeepers that held him and the girl apart.

“No, no! I volunteer!” The whole crowd fell silent as the girl pushed free of the guards to look up at the older woman on the stage. “I volunteer as tribute.”

The woman looked to the officials behind her, a frown creasing her brow.

“Is she allowed to do that? Volunteer for a boy?” The group shrugged, none of them looking sure themselves.

“I don’t think there’s a law that says she can’t.” One of them muttered back eventually, so the woman turned back and nodded to the peacekeepers to release the boy.

He ran straight to the older teen, throwing his arms around her.

“No, Kara, you can’t!”

“You need to get out of here. Go and find your mum. Go and find her right now. I’m so sorry.”

The guards pulled the two apart then, the boy kicking and screaming as a woman ducked under the ropes to run over and carry him away from the group. The girl stood then, pushing blonde hair back from her face as she walked towards the stage, blue eyes were vacant as she stared at the ground. A hand on her shoulder stopping her still as she reached the others.

“District 12’s very first volunteer… What’s your name?”

“Kara Danvers.”

The girl muttered back carefully, staring down the centre of the groups to where her family stood - her mother and sister, her cousin and his parents too.

“And the boy… he’s…”

“He’s my cousin.”

“I see. Well let’s have a big hand for our very first volunteer… Here we are, our tributes from District 12. Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour.”

\-----

“How many times is your name in there today?” Her sister had asked as they sat on a hill on the outskirts of the district. 

“28…” Kara muttered back carefully. Alex sighed as she pushed her hand through her hair. It was no more times than the older girl had her own name in the pot when she was 18, but that didn’t make it any better now it was her little sister with the odds against her.

“They won’t pick you.” Alex wasn’t sure if the words were supposed to be comforting for her or Kara, but she didn’t think it was working either way. Kara had shook her head and Alex knew what was running through her mind. “They won’t pick Clark either.”

“He’s all I have left from home Alex… I can’t lose him too.”

\-----

The car jerked to a halt by the station. No one had said a word since the reaping, not to anyone outside their families when they were allowed to say goodbye.

The train was lavish when they boarded, there was more food on board than Kara had seen in 3 years in District 12, the trio sat for a brief time in one of the carriages as they began their journey to the Capitol. Kara’s eyes wandered in curiosity as she watched the view blur by, watched Lena sit rimrod straight next to her in a sullen silence, watched as their escort - Sam - had shuffled awkwardly in her seat until she found something to say.

“I’m going to go and find Maggie… She’s probably in the bar car.”

The older woman left with a smile, and Kara inched to turn slightly in her chair as she tried to face her fellow tribute better.

“Have you ever met her?” She asked carefully, noting the way Lena tried to flinch away. “Maggie?”

She got nothing but silence in response from the other girl.

“You know Lena, she is our mentor, she did win this thing once.” Again. Nothing. “I get it, if you don’t want to talk. It’s fine, I just- you know there’s nothing wrong with getting some help.”

Lena didn’t say anything, but she had at least turned to look at her. Kara could see the panic set in her eyes, along with something else she didn’t recognise, so she didn’t push any further. Just sat back in her chair and waited, waited until the doors nearby finally slid open and a woman in her mid-twenties stumbled through it. She paused to look at the two of them where they sat, precariously nursing a glass between her fingers as she nodded, raising the empty glass towards them.

“Congratulations.” 

The word fell out, laced with sarcasm and a hint of booze. The victor making her way to a table behind them to grab a bottle of whiskey, before returning to sit in the chair opposite them.

“When do we start?” Kara turned in shock to look at the younger woman sat with her as she finally broke her silence.

“Woah- oh- so eager… what’s the hurry?” The words slurred slightly and Kara clenched her jaw as she squared herself level with the victor.

“Yeah- we want to know what the plan is, you’re our mentor-”

“Mentor?”

“Yes, you’re supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and gives us advice.” The blonde added, irritation really starting to set in some by now.

“Oh… Okay, erm- embrace the probability of your imminent death, and know in your heart, that there is nothing that I can do to save you.”

“So why’re you here then?!” Lena asked harshly. The older woman simply holding up the bottle as she responded with a clumsy wink.

“The refreshments…” Maggie stood quickly, starling the other two as she stumbled in a circle. “I’m gonna go and finish this in my room.”

Then she’d gone. Falling into the wall as she made her way back out of the door, the two tributes staring dumbly after her retreating figure. Kara was the first to recover from her stupor, pushing herself to her feet when she realised what had just happened.

“She’s gonna come around.” She huffed as she began following the other woman.

“Wha- it’s no use.” Lena called after her, brow creasing in confusion.

“I’ll go talk to her.”

Lena sat alone in that room for longer than she’d care to admit before she gave up and paced around the train for a time, eventually retreating to her room as the hours grew darker. She got no sleep - every hour spent over analyzing every way she could die in the weeks to come. She gave up trying at 7 o’clock. Made her way back through the train carriages until she found the others eating breakfast at the other end of the train.

Lena watched with a slight curiosity as she saw Kara talking to what appeared to be a somewhat sober Maggie, eventually she pushed herself to enter the room to catch the tail end of a response from the mentor.

“Well, that’s a good way to get killed.”

“What’s a good way to get killed?” She asked as she came up to the table, Kara greeting her with a smile.

“Oh joy, please come and join us. I was just giving some life-saving advice.” 

Honestly, Lena didn’t know how many of those words were meant as sarcastically as they’d sounded, but she took the bait nonetheless.

“Like what?”

“Oh, I was just asking about how to find shelter.” Kara supplied, easily filling her in on what she’d missed so far.

“Which would come in handy if in fact you were still alive.” Maggie had added unhelpfully. Lena deadpanned her expression as she watched the woman, clearly not one for actually wanting to help at all.

“How do you find shelter?” Lena probed when the mentor did nothing more than continue to butter her toast.

“Can you pass the jam sweetheart?”

“How do you find shelter?” She persisted.

“Give me a chance to wake up.” The two tributes shared a glance as they watched the other woman fill her teacup with whiskey. “Now can you pass the marmalade-”

The thunk echoed around the carriage, as Lena buried a knife through the placemat and into the table, right between Maggie’s thumb and forefinger. 

“Be careful!” Sam had snapped from somewhere behind them.

“Look at you, just killed a placemat.” Maggie spat as she pulled the knife from where the teenager had buried it, twirling it between her fingers as she continued. “You really want to know how to stay alive? You get people to like you.”

The older woman smirked as she saw Lena’s face drop, mouth hanging slightly agape at the suggestion.

“Oh! Not what you were expecting? Well, when you’re in the middle of the Games and you’re starving or freezing, some water, a knife or even some matches could mean the difference between life and death - and those things only come from sponsors, and to get sponsors you have to make people like you… and right now, sweetheart, you’re not off to a real good start.”

Maggie bit into her breakfast then, eyes hard as they remained on the younger tribute’s face, taking in the shock that was written across it clear as day.

“There it is.” Kara’s voice ended the staring match as she got up to look out of the window. Lena stood with her as she took in the view of the city, remaining a couple of feet behind the other girl. “It’s huge…”

As the words fell from Kara’s lips, the train disappeared into a tunnel, the blonde flinching back from the window at the sudden darkness, turning to briefly catch Lena’s eyes. Though her attention was quickly returned to the window as the light returned. This time as they were pulling into the station in the Capitol. Bright colours and loud cheers invaded all of their senses as they were greeted by a mass crowd of Capitol citizens, waving and applauding as they pulled up like celebrities.

Kara waved back, out of instinct really, not knowing what else to do. Smiling slightly as the cheers got louder.

“Come on. Lena, come on.”

The younger girl just stared, bewildered, as Kara beckoned her over. She was rooted to the spot, couldn’t have moved if she’d wanted to, and she really didn’t want to.

Maggie carefully placed the small blade she’d taken from Lena back onto the table next to the teenager as she observed what was going on, speaking only when the younger girl had quirked an eyebrow in question at the action.

“You better keep this knife, she knows what she’s doing.”


	2. The Tribute Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival at the Capitol means 12's tributes learn what happens in the untelevised periods before the games.  
> One step at a time. Smile. Wave.  
> You have to get people to like you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd installmet is complete.  
> Hope you enjoy it.  
> Like, comment and let me know what you think.

Kara had watched Lena carefully as they made their way to the doors of the train. The younger woman was scared, she could see it in her eyes. They’d been led to the doors by Sam and Maggie, the older woman having to all but hold their mentor upright as they ventured out into the crowds on the platform.

Lena hesitated at the edge of the train, her feet failing her as her mouth ran dry. It was all too much. If she took another step it would be real, she couldn’t do it… it was too much.

“Hey.” A hand moved to hold her own, pulling Lena from her thoughts as she looked up to meet Kara’s eyes. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, okay?”

The younger woman nodded, allowing the other tribute to interlock their fingers as she led them both from the carriage. The crowd was so bright and so loud, it was overwhelming really - Kara had seemingly lost her ability to make nice with the crowd, just focussing on getting them both through the people. They cheered and applauded and shouted questions to the pair, neither answering as eyes frantically scanned the crowd for the owners of the voices.

Lena’s hold on Kara’s hand tightened as she tried not to lose her on the thin winding path the peacekeepers were carving out for them. 

Eventually they got through the crowd and out of the train station - tunnels leading them through to what looked like a hospital wing, curtains drawn across most of the cubicles. As they walked down the corridor, one curtain was pulled back harshly, a woman stepping out in a hospital gown to be led away by the team that left with her. She was another tribute - Lena recognised her from the reapings, District 5. They eventually reached two empty cubicles at the end of the corridor.

“Lena, this one’s for you dear. Kara, Maggie will take you next door.” 

The younger woman looked quizzically at Sam as she spoke, the escort putting an arm around her shoulders to lead her away, pulling the two tributes apart. Kara let her hand fall away from the other girl as she shot her a reassuring smile, though she’d admit she was slightly confused at what was happening herself.

Kara followed Maggie into the cubicle next door, the other woman stumbling out without a word a few minutes later. The blonde huffed as she pushed a hand through her hair. This was crazy.

A team of about 3 people eventually appeared through the curtain. Kara made to ask what was going on, but one of the trio simply pushed her back against the bed. The three worked in such a blur that Kara struggled to keep up. They made sure she was washed and properly clean, they cut her hair some, waxed her legs, the works. It hit her whilst she was lying there that she’d never known what happened to the tributes whilst they were in the Capitol. Evidently it started with this. She knew they were the last tributes to arrive, that’s how it worked - which also meant she knew they were getting her ready for the tribute parade, she’d spent her life watching the games, she knew what parts of the build up got shown to the rest of the country.

They finished with her after what felt like more than hour, Lena’s curtain was still drawn as they led her away down a side tunnel with the number 12 etched above it. She was ushered into a side room, where she was perched on a stool and left again to wait.

Lena had emerged from her cubicle to find Kara already gone from next door, Sam waved the rest of the team off as she led her down the District 12 tunnel. The older woman had spoken to her the whole time they were getting her ready, explaining the ins and outs of what was going to happen. She’d been cleaned off and now was to meet with their stylist, assuming he was done with Kara already.

The little dressing room was empty when they got there. Lena standing in front of the mirror as Sam took a perch behind her.

“Are you okay?”

“This is insane. I mean, I knew there was a chance I’d get picked at some point of course, I’m not stupid. But- I don’t know, I’d never really considered what I’d have to do if I did get picked.” Sam stood to stand next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders as she met the girl’s eyes in the mirror.

“Well, one step at a time okay? For now, we’re going to dress you up nice, and all you have to do is stand next to Kara and smile.” Lena chuckled as the older woman winked at her, nodding her agreement. She could do that, or at least she could try.

The door opened up a few minutes later, a man likely in his twenties walking in with a smile, finding Lena sat on the floor with Sam. The two stood to greet him as he closed the door. The stylist was young compared to most in the Capitol, brown hair was pushed back in a quiff, suit all white and freshly pressed, he held a hand out in greeting to the young woman.

“Morning, my name’s Winn. I’m here to get you ready for the tribute parade, I assume you know how it works?” Lena nodded in response to the man’s question.

“Yeah, tributes are dressed to represent their district… We’re always miners.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to do that. I want to really give them something to remember.”

Sam took a seat on the stool to the side of the room as the man got to work. It took a while to get the dress to fit right, but the black material flowed perfectly when they were done, her hair curled into loose waves, a simple black crown like head piece finished off the look. Winn had nodded in appreciation when he was finally done, spinning the mirror for Lena to look over the outfit.

It was beautiful really. Fit her perfectly, dark lipstick and smokey eye shadow suited her down to the ground too, she smiled as she nodded at the stylist.

“It’s perfect.”

The other woman smiled across at them when Winn bowed dramatically before moving to open the door.

“Well then, shall we?”

The trio made their way down the tunnel that opened into one larger tunnel further down - open skylights serving as windows for the Capitol crowds to catch glimpses of the tributes walking below. The cheers shocked Lena as she walked but she recovered enough to keep walking, the tunnel eventually breaking into another that ran sideways - chariots lined the tunnel. All black horses and chariots, twelve in total, the tunnel had led out at the entrance and Lena could see the crowds in the stands outside. Sam placed a hand on her shoulder to direct her the other way, her district chariot being right at the back.

They passed every other district’s tributes on the way down the corridor. District one were dressed in silver finery, two were covered in gold gladiator-esque armour, three wore black outfits with blue etching through it like a computer grid, four wore fishing net skirts and leather over their torsos, five wore flashy silver outfits, six were coated in scraped and soot covered silver, seven dressed in plaid and cuffed jeans for lumbar, eight wore spilt pink and blue jumpsuits with three stars on a silver headpiece, nine looked rather uncomfortable in dresses of grain, ten dressed as cattle ranchers as always, eleven wore denim overalls and straw hats for agriculture… and then there was twelve.

Lena saw Maggie leant against the chariot as they approached, the victor facing away from them as she reached out for something. 

Once they’d got closer, Lena could see that it was Kara that the woman had tugged closer, straightening the collar of her jacket as the other tribute protested. Kara was dressed in the same material as Lena, but it wasn’t cut to a dress like hers was - assumedly because Winn had expected one of the tributes to be male. It worked either way. Pants and vest of the black material were overlaid by a long sleeveless jacket of the same colour.

It had obviously been altered to fit the older girl, and if Kara was honest she felt more comfortable like this anyway. She smiled widely when she caught sight of Lena over their mentor’s shoulder.

“Hey, looking good.”

Lena flashed a grin as she quirked an eyebrow at the girl.

“I feel ridiculous.” Kara laughed at the response, agreeing wholeheartedly with the sentiment. She’d never had to dress up like this before, hell she never owned anything nice enough to be dressed like this before. 12 wasn’t exactly known for its fashion.

Winn walked back over to the two tributes as they got ready at the back of the chariot, holding out a small remote for Lena to take off him.

“What’s this?”

“Something they’ll remember. When you’re about to come out of the tunnel, press the button, it’ll create a faux-flame that’ll light up the outfits. It won’t hurt you, completely fake, it just looks real. All you’ve got to do is go out there and show off, flash a few smiles. You’re ready for this.”

Maggie offered the two a wink as Sam wrapped them briefly in a hug, the trio making an exit as a call for the tributes to ready themselves came through a tanoid. 

Kara stepped up onto the chariot, Lena following her carefully, hand keeping a hold of the side to steady herself as the horses were urged forwards a few moments later. The two watched as the other tributes disappeared into the light beyond the tunnel, hearing the loud banging of drums and the cheering of the crowd getting closer.

“You ready?” Kara nodded in response, and with a deep intake of breath, Lena pressed the button on the control.

She glanced across to Kara, watching as the flames flickered to life across the girl’s clothes. The blonde laughed slightly at the shock on Lena’s face when she caught her looking at the suit, this was crazy.

They both blinked hard as they made their way out into the sunlight, the cheers were clearer now - names being called, district numbers, or just general hollering. 

Lena scanned the stands in utter shock, eyes drawn to the cheering faces in the crowd, then to the banners on the side of the track that displayed their faces. She’d seen this on TV before of course, but it was so much different to be involved in it all. She spun sharply then, flinching nervously as she felt Kara try to take her hand.

“It’s okay, come on. They’ll love it, smile and wave remember?”

Lena remained unsure, but allowed the other girl to take her hand and hold it up between them. The crowd cheered louder at the action, some throwing roses at the passing chariots. They were led to a circular opening at the end of the track, where they were stopped for the President’s speech.

The President was an older man, probably in his fifties. Hair cropped short in a military style, black hairs starting to grey, he had a harsh face and to the people of the districts he had the personality to match.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Tributes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and sacrifice… and wish you a happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favour.”

A snark smile spread itself across President Edge’s face as he let his gaze fall across to the unconventional tributes on the District 12 chariot. 

This is where it all began.


	3. The 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As training begins, 12 learn who the other 22 tributes are, and just how difficult it will be to beat them.  
> The odds aren't exactly in their favour, so they might need some help.  
> The tributes, the team, the truth.  
> Hope you enjoy it.  
> Like, comment, let me know what you think.

When the parade was finished, the pair had gotten changed into something more comfortable before they were shown to their quarters in the tribute centre. The top floor penthouse was bigger than the town hall in 12, and the two tributes had explored in a state of shock for a long time, settling into their rooms and finding where everything was before they were called back into the lounge area by Sam.

Maggie was waiting for them when they took a seat in front of the huge screen on the wall opposite the couch.

“What’s this about?” Lena queried, sharing a confused glance with Kara as they looked at the two older women with them.

“Recon. This is an introduction to your other tributes…”

\-----

The doors to the training centre slid open as Kara approached, Lena at her shoulder the whole way.

The room was huge. Different areas for different types of training. Every kind of weapon and survival training that was possible. One of the trainers had called across to all the tributes when she saw that everyone was present. A simple enough message. Take all the time you needed to learn whatever skills you wished to, don’t kill each other, there would be plenty of time for that in the arena.

Lena stayed by Kara’s side when the others dispersed to start their training.

“What do you think?” Kara asked under her breath as they watched the others get to work.

“I think we’ve stopped getting people to like us…”

Lena’s words were morbid as she watched the male tribute from District 2 cleave the head of a training dummy in half with an axe. Kara had followed her gaze to the other tribute.

“Lar Gand. District 2. Maybe we’ll stick to training away from the Careers.”

The man was one of the older tributes here, tall and strong - went by Mon-El in District 2 according to Maggie. One of the Careers along with the girl from 2, and both tributes from 1 and 4. Trained until they were ready to compete and then volunteered for the games. It wasn’t uncommon for fights to break out when someone volunteered for another Career, it was how Mon-El had become the tribute for District 2 this year - he volunteered and killed the boy that was chosen to take his place here.

As they watched, the rest of the Career group made their way over to the oldest tribute.

Imra Ardeen, District 2 - spun throwing knives between her fingers as the group watched one of District 6’s tributes fall from the climbing nets. Maxwell Lord and Lyra Strayd, District 1 - he stood all smug and full of himself as he leant against his spear, she had a quiver strapped to her back but no bow in hand as she laughed at the tribute on the floor. Otis Graves, District 4 stood with them too - a thick set teenager that sat a few miles from the point of being a genius, he’d been reaped alongside his sister but the girl was nowhere to be seen. The group eventually cast their gaze over to the two tributes from District 12, and Kara knew they’d been staring too long.

“Come on Lee, let’s go.” The blonde nudged the other girl in the opposite direction to the Career tributes, the pair ending up in line for one of the pieces of training apparatus.

Lena watched over the training arena whilst she stood in line behind Kara.

District 1 stood on the shooting ranges - Lyra burying arrows in the chest of a dummy whilst Maxwell launched a spear into another one’s skull.

District 2 were working on training dummies nearby - Lar hacking one to bits as Imra sat to one side and watched, spinning a throwing knife between her fingers as she waited for him to be done.

It took her a while to spot District 3, tucked away from prying eyes in the far corner of the room - Jack Spheer worked away with some wiring as his fellow tribute Beth Breen looked to be assembling something on a table nearby, Lena couldn’t tell from here what it was but she assumed she wouldn’t like to find out.

District 4 were in line a few spaces behind them - Otis and Mercy Graves, she could hear the girl scolding her brother for something even from where she stood.

District 5 weren’t together - Ben Krull was muttering to himself as he learned to light a fire at the edge of the room, whilst Leslie Willis dedicated her time to cleaving the head off a training dummy with a scalpel chain. 

Lena had flinched when the head crashed to the floor, the girl from 5 grinning maniacally as she picked the head from the floor and kicked it across the room. The Careers had looked impressed as they watched, which was really never a good sign.

“What?!” The shout from 5’s tribute made every set of eyes in the room turn back away from her, all knowing they’d been caught out staring at the other teenager.

It had quietened down once everyone had gotten back to their own training, and Lena had continued her scan for where the other tributes were, and what they were doing.

District 6 stood around a set of tables - Adam Foster and Veronica Sinclair set to testing themselves at working out plants by the looks of it, scanning and sorting into poisonous and not. Lena figured she should probably have a crack at that test later on too. A lot of tributes died of natural causes in the games, and she really didn’t fancy being one of them.

District 7 were at opposite ends of the room - John Corben swung from the climbing nets in the middle of the room, whilst Izzy Williams crashed onto the safety mats under the rings ahead of her.

She wasn’t sure for a time where District 8 were, she eventually spotted them by one of the walls on the far side of the room - Roger Hayden and Grace Parker had themselves pressed against the wall, arms painted to be perfectly camouflaged against it, although they were taking a pretty big gamble that there would be paint in the arena if that was their survival strategy.

District 9 were in line for various activities - Manchester Black stood next to the training dummies with an axe as he waited for 5 to move on, whilst Pam Ferrer was right behind Lena in this line.

District 10 were both sparring hand to hand with the trainers on the mats - Kevin Huggins was currently pinned to the floor, whilst Lena watched Gayle Marsh flip the other trainer clear over her head.

That’s when they all heard some commotion from the Careers, Lar Gand had the District 6 boy by the throat in the middle of the room. Trainers lept from all angles to break the pair up as the older tribute yelled, a few managing to get there before he could swing for the other boy. Lena had no idea what was going on, she hadn’t seen anything happen.

“Where’s my knife?! I know you took it!” The older tribute’s voice echoed around the room, Adam flinching back a couple steps as he spat out a response.

“I didn’t touch your stupid knife!” 

“You wait until we get in the arena. I’m gonna kill you first!”

The trainers dragged the two away from each other then, Mon-El heaving an axe onto his shoulder as he went back to training with a huff. 

That’s when she’d noticed it, District 11. Cameron Chase stood staring up at the ceiling, shaking her head and with a sly smile across her face, Lena followed her gaze up to the roof and almost laughed when she spotted him. Carter Grant, the youngest tribute here, hanging from the netting on the roof with Mon-El’s knife in his hands as his beamed with pride.

Lena brought her attention back to the apparatus in front of her when the commotion had ended, still impressed by the 12-year-old’s bravery if nothing else.

The line in front of her had reached Kara by now and she watched as the other girl swung out onto the rings with little difficulty - Lena had known Kara most of her life, of course, but she had to admit she didn’t really know what to expect from the older girl. She kept half an eye on her most of the day - watched her climb with ease, watched her spar with the trainers and floor them ninety-percent of the time.

The younger tribute had done the rounds of the training room too - finding she could master most of the survival knowledge easier than most; she had always been an archer though, so when she’d attempted to spar with the trainers, she found herself on her ass more times than she’d like to admit. That was okay though, she didn’t need to get in a fist fight if she could find a bow. She didn’t show that hand today. Maggie had said to try and keep their strengths hidden so the other tributes couldn’t figure them out, not that Kara seemed to be sticking to that plan. 

\-----

Kara yawned as she made her way through the penthouse, tired as she was, she couldn’t get herself to actually go to sleep.

She paced aimlessly through the complex until she reached the lounge, finding the space already occupied as Lena perched on the bay seat in the window, clutching a cup of tea in her hands.

“Can’t sleep?” 

Lena’s head snapped around at the new voice, relaxing when she realised it was only Kara. She offered the girl a smile as she shook her head in response.

“Not even a wink. Too worked up.” Lena turned back to look at the skyline view of the city as the blonde made to take up the seat beside her.

“Me neither… What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know. This is all just- it’s a lot to process. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I mean I am vastly underqualified for this.” Kara laughed a little, scooting round to face Lena properly.

“I’m pretty sure everyone outside the Careers are vastly underqualified for this, Lee. Doesn’t stand for anything, especially given that I know how well you can shoot. Besides, we technically have two mentors with us so between them they gotta know something useful.”

Lena smiled, grateful for the optimism from the other girl, despite the fact that they both knew that at least one of them was going to die in that arena. 

“I’d be less optimistic about the help, Maggie’s a drunk and Sam doesn’t even talk about it…”

“Maggie’s sober enough sometimes. Probably not much we can do about Sam though.” Kara’s face twisted in thought, and it struck Lena then that she had no clue why the former victor never talked about the games. She’d been a mentor for years before she dropped off the radar, it just seemed strange.

“Do you know why she doesn’t talk about it? Why she dropped off the face of the earth for a year and all?” The blonde nodded in response.

“Yeah. Well, you know the story right? She won her games and then two years later, at 18, she fell pregnant. The father passed away in a factory accident before the kid was born. The girl was put into the reaping pot at 12, she had her name in once, and they picked her. Sam was on stage when they did the reaping. The peacekeepers had to drag her off screaming and in tears, that was the year that guy from 10 won - James. He spent the whole games trying to keep that kid safe, but the Careers killed her on the final day. Sam disappeared after that, I assume because-”

“Because I couldn’t cope with it.”

The pair spun around, only realising when she spoke that Sam was perched on the arm of the couch at the far end.

“Sam, I- I’m sorry, I-”

“No, it’s okay.” The older woman stood as she made her way towards the two teenagers. “I never wanted to have a child after my games, I knew my immunity wouldn’t stretch to them and I couldn’t face that… Ruby was an accident, but she was a pretty amazing one. I was the mentor for District 6 the year she was chosen, I trained her, I got her sponsors, and I lost her. So I quit. Moved to the Capitol, tried to ignore my status for as long as possible, but they brought me back into this. I was distraught when I called your cousin’s name out, and I saw how young he was… and then you volunteered for him, and I felt so much worse that you were about to get out of your last reaping until it was Clark.”

Kara blinked back tears as she listened to the older woman talk, she’d known what she was getting herself into when she volunteered for Clark. She’d intended to come here, was mentally prepared to do what she had to for him.

Lena moved to squeeze her hand as she cleared her throat to speak.

“He’s all I have left from home… I knew what I was doing, at least I chose to be here.” Sam offered her a sad smile, turning to the younger tribute too as she spoke again.

“I wish I could bring you both back safely, but I don’t know how to do that… But I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to help you both. I’m not allowed to bet on the games but, if I could, I’d be betting on you.”

“On us?” Lena asked hesitantly.

“Always.”


	4. The Cost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As training continues, the past begins to resurface.  
> When the cost of victory becomes ever clearer, can either of them stomach what survival would mean.  
> Hope you enjoy it.  
> Like, comment, and let me know what you think.

When Lena woke up the next morning, she was back in her bedroom in the penthouse. She’d fallen asleep on the couch the night before talking to Kara and Sam, so she had no clue how she got here, not that she was complaining.

The girl eventually stretched off and hauled herself from the bed, changing into her training gear before she paced her way through the apartment.

“Morning sweetheart.”

Lena rolled her eyes at the sight of Maggie eating breakfast at the table.

“Morning. Have you seen Kara?”

“Went down to the training centre about half an hour ago.”

“Great, thank you.”

The younger tribute disappeared into the elevator before her mentor could make a snide remark or sarcastic comment at her, the woman just chuckling as the doors slid closed.

Lena stepped into the training centre in time to see Kara pin one of the trainers to the mat they were sparring on - the girl in her training shorts with only a sports bra on top, her shirt on the floor by the edge of the mat. Lena watched as the trainer got back to his feet to stand against the older girl again. Kara took up her stance, showing off muscles Lena wasn’t sure she knew existed until that moment - with the excuse of learning to fight, that wasn’t entirely untrue, Lena made her way over to the area to watch.

The movements were difficult to track, jabs and blocks, attempts to grab of hold or kick. Most were unsuccessful, and Kara remained on the defensive until she spotted what must have been an opening, dropping to wrap a leg around the trainer’s ankles and bringing him tumbling to the floor, where she kept him pinned in hold until he tapped out. 

“Hey.” Kara’s greeting was chipper when she made her way off the mat after spotting the other girl at the side. “Sleep okay?”

“Yeah. Thank you, by the way, I assume it was you that moved me.”

“Well, I wasn’t just going to leave you on the couch. So, were you actually wanting at the sparring mats or just watching?” Lena blushed slightly, looking anywhere but at Kara for a moment.

“Oh, just watching… I know I can’t do that.”

Kara laughed as she pulled her t-shirt back over her head, nudging Lena away from the mats and towards one of the other areas. Lena heading for the climbing nets, knowing that she could at least show off a little on that. The blonde had stood at the bottom whilst Lena climbed, watching until the other girl got high enough for it to start hurting her neck to look for her up in the rafters. 

“Twelve.”

Kara clenched her jaw at the word, turning to meet the Career pack stood behind her.

“Two.” The blonde replied simply, staring back at the older tribute. “You want something?”

“From you?” Kara squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the other tribute as he looked her over before adding, “Not a chance… Well, that’s not exactly true. I want you dead, but I’ll have to wait for that chance.”

Kara didn’t have the chance to react before Lena dropped from the nets, sticking her landing right between the Careers and the other girl. She stood dead between them, face serious as she stared down the older boy from District 2.

“You want to keep walking, two?” Mon-El laughed at the girl’s words, quirking an eyebrow at her in a way to Lena meant one of two things: he was impressed, or just found it funny.

“You didn’t want to do that twelve… I’ll kill you for that. Just you wait.”

\-----

“Why’d you do that?”

Lena paused in her efforts to towel dry her hair as she tried to take in the fact that Kara was sat on her bed when she got back from having a shower.

“Why’d I do what?” She asked as she threw the towel over one of the chairs in the room, leaning against her desk as she faced the other girl properly.

“Stand up to the guy from 2.” Lena quirked a smile when she realised what Kara was talking about. “You didn’t have to do that, it could-”

“Could have what? Got me killed? Kara, look where we are. He was going to come after me either way, but he had no right to do that in training.”

“He wasn’t going to hurt me, he was just being an ass.” Lena shrugged overdramatically at the statement.

“Yeah, and now he won’t be one again until we’re in the arena.”

Kara laughed, knowing she was likely right, but it still didn’t mean she was happy that Lena had risked her own safety to stand up for her. The younger girl made her way over to the bed then, collapsing in a heap next to Kara. Green eyes scanned the room for a brief moment before they fell back onto the blonde by her side.

“You know, of all the ways I’d thought of, this was not how I expected us to meet again.” She said softly after a brief pause.

“I suppose we never were the type to meet normally huh?”

“Not a chance. I think we scrapped that chance on the first day we met.”

“True, you nearly shot me in the head…”

“I didn’t though!”

Kara remembered the day well, she’d been 7-years-old and out exploring the forest on the edge of District 12. She’d gone alone, no one knew where she was all day, and Lena had been out there too - practising her hunting, shooting at targets carved onto trees. Kara had walked out from behind a hedge, not realising she was coming out onto a shooting range, and Lena’s arrow skimmed the bridge of her nose. She still had a scar across it. The girl had been 5 at the time, her father was teaching her to shoot, he’d been mortified when it happened, but he’d run over to help her up and Lena had come across not long after with a wet rag and wiped the blood from her nose for her. The two had always gone exploring together since, just so they wouldn't end up hitting each other, and they’d grown quite close over the years.

Kara still remembered the year after Alex stopped having her name in the bowl for the reaping, there was a famine that broke out and even with Kara taking Tessera, there wasn’t enough food to last the year. Her adoptive father had passed away in the spring, the starvation causing him to fall ill. They were struggling. Until Lena had shown up at their door with an extra lot of Tessera for all of them.

“You remember that?” Lena had asked when Kara drifted into talking about the past.

“Of course I remember it, you saved our lives… and put your name in the reaping bowl and extra three times for it.”

“Well, I wasn’t just going to leave you to starve. The cost didn’t matter.”

They’d drifted apart some the past couple of years, after Kara began to work in the mines to earn some extra money. They’d still occasionally ran into each other in the forests back in 12, but they hadn’t properly spoken for about a year.

“I suppose it only made sense that we’d end up stuck here together, eh?”

“Yeah… but I don’t see us getting out of this one Kara.” The blonde collapsed next to her then, tilting her head enough to hold her gaze.

“Maybe not but, whatever comes next, we’ll face it the same way we faced everything else… together.”

“Always.”

\-----

Lena was sat watching TV late that night, one of the build up shows was on. Mxy sat with Mackenzie at a desk on the screen, reviewing the previous games and those ‘fantastic moments when a tribute becomes a victor’. The girl curled in on herself as she watched the 68th Hunger Games highlights play through, watched as her half brother won his games - Lex Luthor, District 1 - he’d cleaved the head from the last tributes shoulders, a boy from District 12. Lena flinched away as she watched it happen, not realising she was no longer alone until the remote was pulled from her hands and the screen flickered off. 

“Are you okay?”

Lena shook her head as she looked over at Sam.

“I’m not like him… I don’t know that I can do this.”

“Because of the people like him, or because of Kara?” Lena took a deep breath, staring at the floor as she tried to ground herself.

“Can it be both?” Sam scooted closer to the teenager, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she waited for the girl to continue. “I don’t want to die Sam, I know no one does but I’m so scared… but I can’t lose her, I can’t.”

“I know sweetie. I know.” Sam’s voice was calm, she hadn’t asked for no reason, she knew the answer she was going to get. It happened in the games, more often than you’d have thought, people would end up going in with someone they cared about.

“She doesn’t know. Not any of it, please-”

“I won’t say a word Lena. Though you do realise this might be your only chance to tell her.”

Lena nodded her understanding, but this was not something she was ready to face yet. So for now, she just stayed with Sam, leaning into the older woman as she turned the TV back on. The screen was currently re-running the 70th Hunger Games. The two stayed sat where they were, watching a little later as Maggie stumbled through the apartment and back to her own quarters - Sam had rolled her eyes, but she understood, this was how Maggie coped. All the victors had their vices, they had to. 

It had gotten to about midnight when Sam had felt Lena start to drift off against her shoulder. Kara had appeared at the end of the hallway as the victor was watching Mxy talk about the tribute parade on TV, the girl coming to perch at the other end of the couch as she turned her attention to the screen.

“Now, this I loved. These tributes holding hands, saying ‘we’re from District 12 and we will not be overlooked’. Absolutely brilliant statement from the fringe district this year, and a volunteer too - always interesting.” On the screen, Mxy was gesturing enthusiastically as he talked about the parade and this year’s tributes. Kara found herself unable to do anything but watch as she sat with the older victor.

“Yes, indeed. Not often we get volunteers from our outer districts, it could very well throw a spanner in the works. Of course, we won’t be able to make any predictions until the scores from training come out but the prospects this year are looking rather tasty already…”

Mackenzie’s voice was like a drilling sound against Kara’s skull, resonating in all the wrong ways. The blonde lurched forward, elbows digging into her knees as she pressed her head into her palms.

“What did you say to him?”

The drilling stopped as the question cut the tension in the air.

“What?”

“Your cousin. When you got to say goodbye, what did you say to him?”

Kara paused, remembering the way the boy had clutched at her like his life depended on it. How he gave her his necklace with the family symbol on it with a muttered ‘to keep you safe’. How his face was stained with tear tracks, and his eyes were red from where he’d been rubbing at them… “Promise me you’ll try to win, Kara. I don’t know, maybe you can.”

“I promised… I promised that I would try to win, for him.”

“He thinks you can win.” 

Kara shook her head, a stray tear tracing its way down her cheek as she glanced over to look at Lena’s sleeping form where she rested against the other woman. It was too hard. The cost of winning was too high. She hadn’t realised it until now, until it hit her like a ton of bricks, but…

“I can’t…”


	5. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's only one way either of District 12's tributes want to do this... Together.  
> It was the only way the knew how to stand a chance, but first they'd have to prove themselves in training.  
> The higher you scored, the more sponsors you got; and in this game, you needed all the help you could get.  
> Hope you enjoy it.  
> Like, comment, and let me know what you think.

Lena was pacing around the room restlessly when the door opened abruptly. A peacekeeper holding it ajar as he muttered a gruff “You have thirty minutes” before letting the other man step through.

“Dad…”

The older man strode across the space between himself and his daughter, wrapping her in a tight hug as he spoke.

“Oh sweetheart. It’s okay, it’s going to be okay. Who knows, maybe District 12 will finally have another winner.” Her father’s eyes shone with tears as he pulled back to hold her face between his hands, stopping her when she tried to shake her head in response. “No, don’t do that. You can get out of this okay? You know how to hunt.”

“Yeah, animals dad.”

“It’s the same thing. Just get your hands on a bow, okay? You do that and you stand as good a chance as anybody.”

Lena choked back a sob as she nodded her understanding. She didn’t think he was right, but she could at least try to give herself a fighting chance. 

“W-what if they don’t have a bow?” She stuttered desperately.

“Then make one. There’ll be some wood around somewhere… but make sure you take whatever training you can get in the Capitol, do everything you can alright? Alex did it once, there’s no reason you can’t too.”

“Alex was a Career, dad… I’m not him.”

“No, you’re better.” Lionel pulled the girl back into his arms, holding her close as she worked to calm herself down. “Hey, I have something for you.”

The older man had dug around in the pockets of his pants for a moment, eventually finding what he was looking for. Lionel opened out his hand to Lena, offering her the small golden pin of a mockingjay that rested against his palm.

“What is it?”

“You’re allowed to take a token into the arena with you, to remind you of home. This was your mother’s…”

“Lillian?” The girl scoffed as she made to turn away from the man.

“No.” Lena paused at the sound of the word, turning slowly back to her father. Brow furrowed in confusion, she looked back down at the pin. “This was Cora’s… this was your mother’s.”

\-----

Lena ran a thumb across the golden shape of the mockingjay on the pin in her hands as she sat on her bed, looking out at the view she’d chosen to for her window.

“Thought you might’ve chosen the forest.” Kara’s voice no longer startled her when she heard it cut through the silence of the room.

“Reminds me of home… can’t sleep?”

“Nah.” Lena tapped at the spot next to her on the bed, eyes not leaving the view in front of her until she felt the bed dip by her side. She turned her head, watching as Kara stared out at the trees for a moment before she met her gaze with a smile. 

Silence fell over the two for a brief moment as they considered what to say, Lena taking note of the shorts and baggy t-shirt that Kara had chosen to sleep in. The younger girl reckoned it was likely the first time in days she’d seen her without a badge that marked her as District 12 somewhere on her person. The only thing familiar about Kara’s outfit this evening was the silver charm that hung from her necklace - an ‘S’ framed by a pentagon shaped like a diamond.

“It was Kal’s. Family symbol. He said it would keep me safe.” Kara said softly, clearly noticing the question in the other girl’s eyes.

Lena was the only one outside her family who knew who Kara really was. Who knew Clark was really Kal. Who knew where they came from. Her father was the mayor in District 12, he’d helped make the adoption of the cousins legal, even forging documents that stated they’d been born and left at an orphanage in 12. Kara had told Lena everything when she was 15, the year the other girl had risked her life to keep her and her family alive.

“He must’ve been crushed when you volunteered.”

“No more so than anyone’s family are when a loved one is picked at the reaping. My name was in that bowl 28 times… I-I kind of expected I’d end up going. Didn’t think it would be like this but hey.”

“28 times. Kara why didn’t you tell me you were struggling, I would’ve helped-”

“I wouldn’t have let you.” Lena believed her. The blonde never would’ve let her risk her life to help them again, not if she could help it. “That your ‘tribute token’?”

The younger girl chuckled, nodding as she passed the pin over to Kara, who carefully turned it over in her hands as she inspected it.

“A mockingjay.”

“It was my mother’s apparently… My birth mother, dad gave it to me before we left.”

Kara handed the pin back as she listened to Lena tell her about her goodbye with her father.

“What did Alex say to you?” The girl had asked with a cheeky grin when she’d finished, Kara rolling her eyes in response.

“Let me see, erm… I’m an idiot, that was a key theme to her speech.” She offered with a laugh, before her face fell slightly more serious. “Told me I wasn’t allowed to die, like her banning it would set it into law.”

“Sounds like her.”

“Your dad came to see me before we left too…”

Lena was certain her face had contorted in confusion as she looked up at Kara, the other girl quirking a small smile at the expression as she maintained her silence until Lena pulled herself together enough to question the statement.

“He asked you to keep me safe, didn’t he?” Kara shook her head.

“No. That’d be stupid, your father would never ask someone to die… but I promised him I would anyway. Not that you need my help-”

Lena had thrown her arms around Kara’s shoulders before she even got the chance to finish. The older girl tensing slightly in shock before she relaxed enough to hug her back. The brunette eventually pulling back, but only far enough so that she could rest her head against Kara’s.

“You shouldn’t have done that, you didn’t have to.”

“Of course I did, I told you, didn’t I? Whatever happens, we face it together. I wasn’t lying to you, I would never.” Lena smiled, squeezing her eyes shut to stop herself from crying.

“I know that. Thank you.”

Kara broke into an easy grin as she pulled Lena back into another hug, only pulling away when she heard Maggie and Sam arguing as they came back into the apartment. The blonde had glanced at the clock over Lena’s shoulder, standing as she took note of the hour.

“I should go, I-er, I’ll see you tomorrow.” The older girl hesitated as she turned to leave, and it was enough to make Lena brave enough to stop her.

“Kara, wait. I-will you stay?”

Lena felt like the room had filled with tension as she let the question hang in the air, the feeling of dread only clearing when Kara’s face split into an easy smile as the girl nodded her agreement. Lena scooted over in the huge double bed to make some space as the blonde carefully made her way back to the bed, lying with the other girl when she pulled the covers back for her. Kara lay rigid on her back, heart hammering at the situation until it all but stopped dead when Lena moved to nestle herself into Kara’s side. The girl struggling to relax as she wrapped an arm around the other tribute.

“Sorry, it’s just- I’ve been getting nightmares.”

“No, I-it’s okay, I get ‘em too.” Kara blushed as Lena draped an arm across her midriff, grateful for the darkness that hid the colouring of her cheeks.

“Promise you’ll stay?” The younger girl muttered with a yawn as she buried herself in Kara’s neck, beginning to drift between the lines of consciousness.

“Always.”

\-----

Kara hopped from the climbing nets the next morning, training well underway for the day as she scanned the room full of tributes. 

The Careers were still together in their little pack, keeping an eye on proceedings as they took it in turns to cleave training dummies to pieces. They hadn’t bothered either of 12’s tributes since Lena had stood up to them. Not that that greatly relaxed Kara when she was in their presence, she’d be stupid to let her guard down.

Most of the other tributes were doing rounds of the training equipment, most improving as they did so too. Kara watched as the boy from District 6 failed to learn his survival skills though, and she’d caught herself once morbidly thinking that it would be one less person to worry about if he accidentally ate nightlock berries or something of the like.

That’s when she’d heard a loud thud echo across the room, flinching as she turned to find Lena square on her back on one of the sparring mats as the trainer dusted off his hands with a roll of his eyes.

She watched as the Careers laughed in the background, 2 looking at her with an amused smirk. Kara marched her way over to the girl, crouching by her side.

“Shoot that target.” 

Lena rolled to look at the bow Kara had nodded towards, looking back at her confusedly.

“Maggie said we’re not supposed to show our strengths.” She’d whispered back in hushed tones.

“I don’t care, those guys are looking at you like you’re a meal. Shoot it.”

The stern tone to Kara’s voice urged Lena to her feet, eyes drifting to the Careers whose eyes were trained on her as she made her way over to pick up the bow. She balanced it out in her hand as she plucked an arrow from the frame above it. Lena glanced across at Kara who nodded in encouragement, it was all the girl had needed to tug the string of the bow back and send the arrow streaking through the air until it buried itself into the centre of the target on the dummy’s head.

The Careers faces fell as the heard the arrow hit the target and watched the smirk tug at Lena’s lips as she watched them pass shocked glances between her and the dummy she’d hit.

The brunette hung the bow back on the rack she’d pulled it from and walked her way back to Kara, the pair sharing a glance with the Careers before they turned back to each other.

“That what you had in mind?” Lena asked, Kara laughing as she saw the Careers retreat to their own training behind them.

“Exactly that.” Kara replied with a wink, offering the other girl a discreet high five as they made their way over to practice their survival training.

Kara struggled as she stared up at the screen that pictured shadow images of plants that could be in the arena. They looked different in the wild, it was hard to tell which was which from an outline, and she huffed in frustration as she got several of the images wrong. Lena appeared from the other side of the screen at the frustrated sigh from her fellow tribute.

“Hey, it’s okay. Together, yeah? Let me show you.”

\-----

By the time they were taking the lift back up to the penthouse, Kara had a better grasp on the survival test they’d been working on. 

The blonde was laughing as she leant against the rail in the lift when they’d called it a day, Lena blushing profusely.

“Shut up, it’s not funny Kara!” The older tribute eventually quelled her laughter some as she clutched at the rail, biting down on her lip as she looked over at Lena.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It is a little bit funny though.”

The brunette huffed, folding her arms across her chest as she quirked an annoyed eyebrow at Kara. It wasn’t funny. They’d had been amongst the last few in the training centre that afternoon, alongside District 11 and District 6. Kara had been on sword practice on the other side of the room whilst Lena went to the climbing nets to finish up for the day. The blonde hadn’t really been paying attention to what the girl was doing, busy training herself, but it wasn’t long before she took notice.

The yelp caused Kara to flinch in her swing, District 6 looking across in concern from where they stood on the archery range. The girl from 11 - Cameron - had tensed as a hard thud followed the sound, head turning from the test screen to spot the younger tribute from District 12 sprawled across the safety mat under the climbing net.

“Lee, are you okay?” 

The brunette was breathing heavy, holding a hand to her heart as she fully collapsed against the mat, nodding slightly when she heard the concern in Kara’s tone.

Laughter followed the action from somewhere up higher in the nets. Kara followed the sound as she stepped away from the training dummy, looking up to see Carter from District 11 hanging on the ropes at the top of the net. Cameron shook her head as she walked over to lean against the net.

“Carter, what did you do?” She asked, trying to suppress a smile as she looked up at the boy.

The boy just giggled as he held a palm out, showing a little metal circle that he held there.

“What’s that?” The boy hopped down from the nets to hold a hand out to the other tribute in response to her question. Cameron hesitantly took his hand, jumping a mile when a jolt of electricity passed through her, the boy laughing as he scampered off with the girl yelling as she chased after him.

Kara made her way over to Lena as she realised what had happened, holding out a hand to help her to her feet.

“You alright?” She asked, biting back the amusement that threatened to show on her face.

“Don’t. Just don’t.”

The blonde couldn’t help herself when she burst into fits of giggles as Lena paced her way over to the elevator, shaking her hand out to try and shake of the sting of the electric shock.

“It was a little funny.” Kara tried to reason at Lena’s expression as they reached their floor. The younger girl rolled her eyes as she made her way through the lounge.

“You’re impossible.” She huffed in exasperation as Kara trailed after her, still beaming ear to ear.

“Yeah, but you love it though.”

Kara hurdled the back of the couch to plant herself on the cushions as she spoke, Lena shaking her head at the girl, glad she had her back to her so she couldn’t see the tinge of red that had coloured her cheeks at her words. 

Lena paced her way up to the kitchen and, in place of an actual response to the statement, she just threw an apple over the balcony where it landed square on the top of Kara’s head.

“Hey!”


End file.
